


For Goodness' Bakes

by fortunehasgivenup



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Baking, Competition, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:55:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24058582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortunehasgivenup/pseuds/fortunehasgivenup
Summary: When Beth signs up to be a contestant on TV's hottest baking show, she's not expecting Rio. But the world is certainly ready for a new OTP - Brioche.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 75
Kudos: 341





	For Goodness' Bakes

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, we're going a bit experimental here in terms of format, so I hope that you like it!

Voiceover: This season on _For Goodness’ Bakes_ , we’ve got it all! 

[A pan shot of a group of people standing in a kitchen, wearing matching aprons.]

Disasters.

[Shot of someone pulling a smoking pan from an oven.]

Delicious successes.

[A slow circle of a beautiful five tier cake.]

A few surprises.

[Several shots of people staring off camera, hands on mouths or eyes wide.]

And the icing on the cake?

[Shot of hands hurriedly applying frosting onto a cake.]

This season’s the hottest one yet.

[Shot of host and judges standing in a group, smiling.]

\- Cut -

**Challenge One: Circus Cake (Team Challenge)**

“He was obviously just cast for the edginess factor,” Beth mutters to her partner on the first challenge. They’re baking and decorating a cake for a fifth birthday party.

What the hell kind of fifth birthday party needed a cake that was a circus tent with “some kind of movement” was beyond her, but that’s not the point of this.

John laughs. He’s a middle aged school teacher from Boston that Beth has a feeling will do just about anything to win. She’s just glad they’re working together on this challenge so she can get a better idea of him. She’ll need to watch her back with him going forward.

Her eyes flick up to the tattooed bad boy of the season - Rio. They’d all been introduced to one another over a few drinks, only to be thrown together according to charms on their wine glasses and told to make a birthday cake. Beth’s just glad she’d only been on her first glass. There’s a housewife that the producers are probably trying to pit her against that was on her fourth sangria when the hosts showed up. Now Nanette looks like she’s going to cry into her sponge.

Rio though, he’s barking out orders to his teammate, who’s running around like a chicken with his head cut off to fulfill the guy’s demands.

He turns and meets her eye for a moment. He raises a brow and Beth blushes as she looks away, ducking her head to go back to piping buttercream.

She doesn’t see him smile.

\- Cut -

_Confessional: Rio_

“Beth Boland?” [Rio laughs.] “Nah, she’s cute.”

[He leans back in his chair, grinning at the camera.]

“Got that wholesome Midwest mama thing going on. Her stuff’s good, but she’s not pushing herself.”

[He spins his baseball cap so it’s backwards.]

“She’ll get there though.”

\- Cut -

Challenge One Winner: Rio and Jeremy  
Eliminated: Jo

\- Cut -

medievalraven tweeted: This season of FGB looks great. I can’t be the only one who is very intrigued by Rio and Beth. Anyone else?

fairhairedkings replied: Yesssssssss. What do we call them though?

medievalraven replied: I was combining their names and I got Brio. But then, I figured it out…Brioche.

fairhairedkings replied: OTP Brioche. I love it.

\- Cut -

**Challenge Two: Garden Party**

Beth pipes a line of perfect lady fingers and smiles to herself before carrying the tray to the oven.

Rio’s there, because of course he is. She purses her lips slightly, but he opens the oven door for her without being asked.

“Lady fingers?”

Beth looks at him. “What?”

He points to her tray as he closes the doors. “You’re doing a Charlotte?”

Beth flushes. “Yes.” She can hear the defensive quality in her voice.

He does too and smirks.

“What?” Beth asks, feeling flustered by his attention.

“Nothing,” he says. “Just feels a little…traditional, you know?”

“It’s for a garden party,” she reminds him.

Rio shrugs. “If you say so.” With that, he goes back to his station.

\- Cut -

_Confessional: Beth_

“He’s just kind of infuriating, you know?” [Beth shakes her head.] “If you say so.” [She scoffs.] “Could you be more condescending?”

\- Cut -

“Beth!” Kathy claps her hands together and Beth’s heart falls. She shouldn’t have tried to put a spin on it. It backfired and she’s going to get kicked off because she let that jerk get to her and -

“This is absolutely wonderful! I’m so pleased by the changes you’ve made to the traditional Charlotte,” Kathy praises her. “It brings a little something extra to the table.”

Beth stares at the judges as they echo Kathy’s sentiments and when she turns her head to the side, she catches Rio’s eye and he smiles at her.

There’s something about the smile that sticks with her all the way through the judging and her eventual win. She sees it when she’s brushing her teeth, when she’s trying to fall asleep. When she wakes up in the morning.

It isn’t fair.

\- Cut -

_Confessional: Rio_

“I told her.” [Rio nods.] “Gotta push yourself if you want to win.”

\- Cut -

Challenge Two Winner: Beth  
Eliminated: Jeremy

\- Cut -

neveroffanon tweeted: Looks like I’m on Team Brioche

fairhairedkings replied: Welcome to the garbage heap

\- Cut -

**Challenge Three: Allergen Friendly**

Beth had breathed a big sigh of relief when she’d drawn gluten-free from the mixing bowl. She’s been baking items that are gluten-, nut-, and dairy-free for years with all the sensitivities at school. But not everyone’s so lucky. Miriam is struggling with her dairy free chocolate chip cookies. Beth could have told her that was a bad idea, but that’s not the point of this.

Rio siddles up to her table and leans against it.

Beth’s head jerks up. “What are you doing here?”

“Can I have some of those almonds?” he asks, nodding to the bag of ground almonds she’s got on the table. “That’s apparently all of them.”

Beth wants to say no. Knows that she’s technically speaking _allowed_ to say no. But she doesn’t. “Sure,” she says. “I’m done with them.”

“Thanks, Boland,” he says, then winks as he leaves.

She’s flustered after that and nearly over bakes her macarons. As it is, they’re not her best work and it makes her angry.

“Don’t get distracted by a really, really handsome face, Beth,” she tells herself in the bathroom mirror. It’s one of the only spots on set without cameras and mics. The last thing she needs is the producers deciding that they want to play with her interest in Rio and turn it into a storyline.

No, she’s here to compete, get some cash to pay off the house and drum up business. That’s it.

She rights her apron and heads back to the kitchen.

\- Cut -

_Confessional: Rio_

“You and Beth don’t seem to get along?” [The producer prompts from off camera.] 

[Rio shrugs.]

“Maybe I just like teasing her.”

\- Cut -

Challenge Three Winner: Nigel  
Eliminated: Miriam

\- Cut -

medievalraven tweeted: Did you see the promos for next week’s ep????? Team challenge with Brioche working together.

fairhairedkings replied: They’re gonna kill each other, lol

medievalraven replied: No, they’re gonna fuck

fairhairedkings replied: Why not both?

EntertainmentWeekly tweeted: Next week on For Goodness Bakes: Wedding cake challenge? Over the top requests from the brides? Beth and Rio working together? We love it!!!

\- Cut -

**Challenge Four: Wedding Cake (Team Challenge)**

“This is a team challenge!”

Beth groans inside. Again?

“I’ll be drawing eight names from this bag,” Kathy holds up a purple velvet bag, “and then each of those eight people will choose their team member.”

Beth just wants to die. The first name out of the bag is Rio’s and Beth listens, hoping to hear her own name, but it doesn’t get picked and now there’s eight people standing across the room.

“Rio, you were picked first,” Kathy smiles at him - and the camera, “so you get to choose first.”

Rio nods and then without pause, calls out, “Boland.”

It takes Beth a second to realize that he’s talking about her. She’s mildly thrilled to be picked first, but kind of terrified at the prospect of working with Rio on the challenge. They don’t even know what it is yet. Still, she crosses the room to stand next to him.

\- Cut -

_Confessional: Rio_

“Of course I picked her. She’s good. What, I’m supposed to let someone else take her because we don’t get along that great?” 

[He shakes his head.]

“Nah.”

\- Cut -

Rio reaches out for the paper Beth’s been sketching on. “Can I?”

She nods. He pulls it to his side of the table and draws a couple of swoops onto the side of the cake and turns it back to her. “How about that?”

It looks better. It looks gorgeous, really.

“I like it,” Beth agrees.

Rio smiles at her. “I do have good ideas from time to time.”

Laughing, Beth pushes herself away from the table. “How humble of you.”

“Lemon base?” Rio asks, pulling out a scale and a stack of bowls. “I’ll get started on that, if you’re good to work on the blueberry layers.”

Beth nods, feeling oddly delighted by how easily they’re getting along.

\- Cut -

_Confessional: Beth_

“He’s really talented, you know?” 

[Beth tucks her hair behind her ear.]

“Not everything he makes is to my tastes obviously, but he’s creative.”

[She blushes.]

“He’s got magic hands.” [Her eyes widen, realizing what she’s just said.] “Not like that!”

\- Cut -

Rio is using a paintbrush to apply a light wash of gold to the inside of the ruffles he’d just spent hours making.

“It looks gorgeous like that,” Beth says.

“Ye of little faith,” he teases.

Beth shakes her head. “I never said I didn’t believe it,” she protests. “I said that it might be too ambitious for the amount of time we have.”

But they’ve made good time. Everything has gone smoothly. As other teams have bickered or dropped batter and overcooked cakes, the two of them have been moving at a fast clip.

It’s like they’ve instinctively known what the other was about to need or ask for, moving to grab it even before the request had been voiced. And it was ridiculous, but Beth has never felt so compatible with another person in her life, except maybe Ruby, and that was different.

\- Cut -

_Confessional: Rio_

“Of course we won.” [Rio leans back in his chair and puts his arms out.] “Did you see our cake? It was ****ing amazing. Tasted good too.”

\- Cut -

The cameras have stopped filming and Beth sighs, wiping the back of her hand against her forehead, then staring at her skin when it comes away with chocolate.

Someone chuckles. “Need some help?” Rio asks.

Beth can feel her cheeks get hot.

“Here,” Rio says, taking her bandana and wiping at her forehead. “I have no idea how you even got chocolate up there,” he teases her, “but I’m impressed.”

“Thanks.” She accepts her bandana back. “We did good, huh?”

Rio smiles. “We did amazing. You’ve got a lot of talent.”

Part of her knew that he must have thought that - he picked her after all, but hearing it from his mouth is different.

“You do too,” Beth tells him, feeling shy all of a sudden.

“Guess we make a pretty good team,” Rio says, stepping a little closer to her. “Hey, listen -“

He’s cut off by the loud buzzer that lets them know it’s time to go back to their hotel for the night. They both wince, but when the sound stops, he just shakes his head.

“Never mind,” he says.

\- Cut -

Challenge Four Winners: Beth and Rio  
Eliminated: Nanette and Clancy

\- Cut -

medievalraven tweeted: At this point, even my mom thinks they should they bone.

\- Cut -

**Challenge Five: Frozen Treats**

Beth’s been avoiding Rio all morning as she works on her ice cream, but she runs out of luck when the cameras cut so that people can take a lunch break. 

“What’s your problem with me?” Rio asks, arms crossed, when he catches her in the hallway. “I thought you got over whatever it was last challenge.”

Beth’s cheeks turn pink. What’s she supposed to say to that - I’ve been thinking about you naked every night since we got here and it’s only gotten worse since I’ve gotten to know you? No way in hell.

“There’s nothing wrong,” she tells him.

He shakes his head. “Nah, that’s not gonna fly anymore. What is it?”

“Nothing,” Beth mutters, then goes to return to the area where the catered lunch is served, but Rio corrals her towards the pantry. “What are you doing?” she hisses.

“You’re gonna tell me what the fuck I did that made you so pissed with me,” Rio tells her.

In the pantry, Beth crosses her arms over her chest. “Nothing!”

“Then why are you jumpy as shit?”

Beth scowls at him. “And what, you think you’re entitled to know every single one of my thoughts?”

“If they’re about me, yeah,” Rio says, leaning against the wall next to the door.

“What makes you think they’re about you?” Beth snaps.

He laughs. “You’re getting awfully defensive if they aren’t.”

“Fine!” Beth uncrosses her arms and sets her hands on her hips. “You want to know why I’m jumpy?” He nods. “Because I’m attracted to you!”

His eyes widen. “Really?”

“Yes!” she bites out, looking away from him. “You can go out there and make fun of me now. The middle aged divorcée who has a crush on the young “bad boy”. I’m a walking cliché, I get it.”

“We’re like two years apart in age,” Rio says.

That’s not what she expected him to say. She looks back at him. “What?”

“I’m gonna kiss you now,” he informs her, crossing the pantry towards her, “so if you don’t want that, tell me now.”

Beth is too surprised to say anything, but she also very much wants him to kiss her, so she practically jumps into his arms right before he slams her into the shelving and crushes her to him.

It isn’t a gentle kiss, not in the slightest. Instead, it’s like the two of them are trying to become a single being. Or like he’s trying to meld her into the sacks of flour.

“Fuck,” he says, lifting her legs up so she can wrap her legs around her waist, “you’re so fucking hot.”

Beth shivers.

“Been thinking about this since the first night,” he says.

“What?” Beth gasps. “Really?”

He nods, kissing her again. “Saw you in that floral dress and wanted to bend you over the counter. God, you’re infuriating.”

“I’m infuriating?” Beth scowls.

“Yeah. You’re so talented and you’re gorgeous and you act like you don’t deserve to be here, but you’re the best one,” he tells her between kisses.

Beth has no idea what to say to that, so she just yanks his mouth back to hers.

Soon, Beth is groaning as Rio does his best to put a permanent mark on her neck while his hips rub against her. She can feel the hard line of him through his pants and it feels so good.

Stuck staying with the other contestants, Beth hasn’t touched herself in weeks and just the slow rub of Rio’s cock against her through layers and layers of fabric is going to get her there alarmingly fast.

Her head falls back, making a dent in the sack of flour as he starts to work his hips even faster.

“Oh fuck,” Beth moans, grabbing at the back of his neck. He’s holding her up and it’s the hottest thing that Beth has ever experienced and she’s so close she can taste it -

She starts to come in the split second before the door to the supply closet opens.

Beth shrieks, partly because of how good it feels, but partly because there’s a wide eyed intern standing there next to a producer, staring at the two of them.

Rio stops moving and very slowly lifts his head from her neck to meet her eyes. “Well,” he says dryly, “we probably could have picked a better spot.”

\- Cut -

Due to undisclosed reasons, Beth and Rio are no longer part of the competition.

\- Cut -

fairhairedkings tweeted: What do you mean they’re no longer part of the competition?!?!??!

medievalraven replied: Right? The oven wasn’t the only thing hot in that room.

neveroffanon replied: Lol. Did the FCC get involved?

medievalraven tweeted: Noooooo, is this the fall of Brioche?

medievalraven tweeted: What the fuck does that mean, "no longer part of the competition"? YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME. Neither of them have social media either. It’s not fair.

fairhairedkings tweeted: HOLY SHIT. Beth’s sister, Annie, has IG and she just posted a photo with BETH AND RIO IN THE BACKGROUND.

fairhairedkings tweeted: I have ASCENDED. They are KISSING. Dreams CAN come true.

\- Cut -

Producer: Tell us a bit about what you’ve been up to since leaving the competition.

Rio: Lots of stuff.

[Beth covers her face with her hand.]

Rio: Oh, you mean like, in life. We met each other’s kids. Her ex is an asshole, so I spend a lot of time trying not to break his kneecaps.

Beth: Rio!

[Rio looks at her, then turns his head to stare into the camera.]

[Beth adjusts the skirt of her dress.]

Beth: We’ve both been hard at work on our own businesses, but we’ve started to collaborate from time to time on things. We don’t want to mix the businesses too fast, you know?

Producer: What do you mean?

Beth: Partnerships in business and romance are complicated on their own. When you combine them, they become even more so.

Rio: We do different things. Sometimes we do those different things together.

Producer: What do you think of the ship name that fans gave you online - Brioche?

[Rio laughs.]

Beth: It’s creative.

Rio: It’s ****ing hilarious.

Beth: Rio, you can’t swear.

[Rio turns to look at her.]

Rio: They can beep it out in post.

[Beth shakes her head, but she’s smiling.]

Producer: So what’s in the future for Team Brioche?

[Rio turns back to the camera and glares into it.]

Rio: None of your ****ing business.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you to neveroffanon and medievalraven for beta-ing this and for allowing me to include them in this story as well. If there's other content that should be warned for or if you think that the warnings need to be more clear, please let me know.


End file.
